Lauding gear eob aeroplanes



C. F. WILLARD.

LANDING GEAR FOR AEROPLANES. APPLICATION HLED mms. 1919.

Patena .Inne 6,1922.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

LCD o 9 o o o o o o O o C. F. WILLARD.

LANDING GEAR FOR AERoPLANEs.

APPLICATION' FlLED MN. 9, 1919.

Patented June 6, 1922. 4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

UNITED STATES CHARLES F. WILLARD, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y

PATENT QFFICE.

., ASSIGNOB, T0 L-IV-li'. ENGINEERING COM- PANY, INC., OF COLLEGE POINT, LONG ISLAND, NEW YQBK, A CORPORATION OF MICI-IIGAN.

LANDING GEAR FOR AEROIBLANES.

Speeification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 6, 1922.

To all w 7mm z't may Gomera:

Be it known that I, CHAnLEs F. IVILLARD, of New York city, in the county of New York, and in the State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Landing Gears for Aeroplanes, and do hereby declare thatthe following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates particularly to aeroplane landing gear, and has reference to landing gear for aeroplanes of various types.

The object of my invention is to provide an advantageous supporting means for the tail surfaces.

A further object is to form of skid construction.

Further objects of my invention will appear from the detailed description thereof contained hereinafter.

While my invention is capable of embodiment in many different forms, for the Vpurposes of illustration I have shown only one form. thereoif in the accompanying drawings, in. which-H Figure 1 is a front elevation of an aeroplane made in accordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same, partly in section;

Figure 3 is a front elevation of a strengthening plate used in the aeroplane;

'Figure 4 is a side elevation of a hollow beam construction located at the rear end of the skid;

Figure 5 is an enlarged vertical section of the fuselage, showing the manner of supporting the slrid Figure 6 is an elevation of a slrid-supporting plate; i

Figure 7 is a horiaontal sectional view, showing the position of the tail post attached to the fuselage;

Fignre 8 is a plan view'of the rear end of' the fuselage and attached parts;

Figure 9 is a Vertical sectional view taken through the edge of one of the openings in the top of the fuselage.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 10-10 ofv Fig. 5. looking in vided with a motorl for driving a proprovide a desirable ings 5 are protected by upholstery 6a and a w binding strip 6b to strengthen said edges and protect the same from damage and prevent injury to the operators by coming into contact with said edges. Near the front of the aeroplane in the interior of the fuselage 2,:there is a transverse strengthening plate 7 to strengthen the fuselage at this point and to act also as a support for the motor 3. The platev' has a peripheral flange 8 for attachment to the interior of the fuselage 2 in any suitable manner. In said plate 7 there are a number of openings 9, where portions of the plate have been cut out to lighten the construction, while retaining adequate strength therein. In the center of the plate 7 there is, furthermore, a central opening 10 to receive the motor 3 and the apparatus associated therewith. At the sides of the opening' 10 there are angle plates 11 and 12 to receive longitudinal beams 13, which support the motor 3 at the sides thereo-f, said treme front foot of the fuselage.

At intervals along the fuselage 2, and in the interior rthereof, there are provided strengthening ribs 16, which eXtend entirely around the interior of the fuselage. At the extreme real' of the fuselage 2, said fuselage is fiattened in Vertical plane and provided at the eXtreme end thereof with a block 17, having steps 18 at the two sides thereof to receive the laminations of the fuselage 2, to which the block 17 is attached in suitable manner. At the rear end of the block 17 there is a cylindrical recess 19 to receive a tubular tail post 20, which is seeured to'the block 17 by means of bolts 21. Said tai-l post 20 extends above. the top of the fuselage 2 and into the interior of a triangular Vertical fin 23, and near the two ends of the tail post 20 there are provided hinges 24 and 25, carrying a rudder 26. The rudcler 26 has two laterally-directed arms`27 to which are attached cables 28, leading' into the interior of the fuselage, so that by the movement of the same the position of the rudder 26 may be changed. .At the two sides of the rear end of the fuselage 2 there are provided avpair of Stabilizei' planes 29 and 30, to the rear edges of which are attached hinges 31 and 32 to pivotally support elevators 33 and 34. These elevators are provided, respectively, with pairs of arms 35 and-36, to which are attached cables 37, extending into the interior of t-he fuselage 2,in orderztozena-ble the operator to change the position of the elevators 33 and 34 atwill.

Near the rear end of the fuselage 2, there is, furthermore, provided a-skid 38, which extends into the fuselage through an opening 39. At Vone side of the opening 39 Vand on the interior of the fuselage, there isa transverse plate 40, having a Vflange 41a for attachment to the interior of the fuselage 2 in any suitable manner. Said plate-40 is roughly in V-shaped form, so as to receive the-skid38 in the centerthereof. Near its lower portion, said plate 40 hasr an eye-'bolt 41, passing through the same,'and pivoted to the eye-bolt there is a clampin'g band 42, which extends around the skid 38. Attached to the` upper central portion of the ,plate 40 there are, furthermore, provided two tubular supports 43 and 44, which are connected at their upper ends to a block 45, having' two pairs of wings 46, provided with bolts 47 passing through the same. One of saidbolts 47 is connected by a cable 48 and a rodr49, having` an adjustable link 50, to the tailpost 17. The other bolt 47 s connected by a plurality of rubber exerciser cords 51 to a clampingband 52, which surrounds the upper end of the skid 38. Attached "to said clamping band 52 there are also laterallydirected rubber exerciser cords 53, the Vextreme ends of which are connected'to rings 54, carried by hooks 55, located on plates 5G in a hollow beam 57, extending 'across the fuselag'e and filled in with a pair of ,abutting wooden beams 58 to strengthenthe stabilizers 29 and 30. The plates 56 are 'bolted to the fuselage. There are also provided similar plates59 at the upper sides of'thehollow beam 57, which are similarly boltedxto'the fusela'ge. At the two sides of the hollow beam 57 ,there are 'strengthening strips'60, which extend around `the interior ,of the fuselage.

, The aeroplane operate-s in the usual'manner. lI-Ioweven'the transverse stren'gthening plate 7 adequately strengthens'the fuselrge 2 in a transverse Adirectioznjalso in lailon'gitudinal direction, Vas it tends to preventthe collapse of the fuselage, due to lbending forces created by conditions in flight or'by shock of landing. Strengthening stripslbI around the interior' of the fuselage `have the effect, fnrtherniore, of strengthening the fuselage transversely, as well as longitudinally. "Furthermore, by "protecting Lthe ledges of the fuselage at the openings '5, ,the

portions of the fuselage at this point 'are strengthened, while at the same time the operators of the aeroplane are protected from injury by the edges of the fuselage.

In order to changeV the direction -of the aeroplane laterally, the rudder 26 is moved to lthe right or to the left, as desired, by

A'means of the cables 28. When it is desired 'the manner indicated, the skid V38 vand ,the 'parts attaching theskid 38 to the aeroplane create a minimum of resistance to vmotion nthrough the air, while at the same time said skid 38 affords an effective means 'for absorbing shocks when the aeroplane is landing, by reason of the presence of the yielding cords 51 and 53. The cords 53 have the effect, also, of retaining the skid 38 in central position.

While I have described my nvention .above in detail, I wish it to be understood that many changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit thereof.

I claim: i

1. An aeroplane fuselage having a pivotally mounted skid extending fromthe linterior to the eXterior thereof and ayielding, supporting means for the skid comprising a stretchable binding member at the top of 'the skid and other similar members at the sides thereof, said binding membersrbeing located within the fuselage.

.2. An aeroplane fuselage having a pivot-- ally mounted skid extending from the 'interior to the exterior thereof and a yielding, supporting means for the skid comprising a stretchable binding member andV transverse Vplates in the fuselage located at the pivot vof the skid and near the end thereof respectively.

5`. ,An .aeroplane fuselage having a pivottally mountedskid extending from the interior to the exterior thereof, a yielding, supporting means for the skid comprlsing a stretchable binding member at the top of the skid and other similar members at the sides thereof, and transverse plates in the fuselage located at the pivot of the skid and near the end thereof respectively.

4. Anaeroplane fuselage having a transverse strengthening plate disposed Vin the fuselage, a skid extending from the interior to the exterior ofthe fuselage, vmeans lpivot- 'ally connecting said skid to said plate,:a re- "silient'blnding member connected to the inner portion of said skid, and a support for Said bndng member extending from said strengthenng plate.

5. An aeroplane fuselage having a trans-- verse strengthenng plate dsposed in the fuselage, a skd extendng from the nterior to the exteror of the fuselage, means pivotally connecting said skid to said plate, and reslen't bndng members extending both longtudinally and laterally from the inner porton of sa1d skd.

6. An aeroplane fuselage having a trans- Verse plate disposed theren, said plate haw' ng an outer edge porton conforming substantally to the eurvatnre of the fuselage and having its central portion cut away, a skd extendng from the nteror to the exteror of the fuselage and supported intermediate its length from said plate, and binding members extendng between the fuselage 20 and the upper end of said skd.

In testmony that I clam the foregong I have hereunto set my hand.

CHARLES F. WILLARD. 

